A city is constantly changing, and this is also the case for Sittard. For instance, the historic city centre once drew in large numbers of tourists, but the number of visitors these days has dropped considerably, and continues to fall. The number of vacant commercial premises is increasing, resulting in a negative impact on the look and feel of the centre. Another change is the intensification of the roads and the traffic using them. A main route through the centre (The Rijksweg) results in a division of the former shopping area.

The high intensity of car traffic means the road acts as a barrier, despite the fact that there is a ring road around the centre.

Current developments are not dealing with the vacant premises and the division of the centre. We are therefore looking for new and innovative concepts and further elaborations to tackle these issues.